I was lying with my messmate
on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle
came a most peculiar sound
Says I, "Now listen up, me
boys!" each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice
sang out so clear
"He's singing bloody well,
you know!" my partner says to me
Soon, one by one, each German
voice joined in harmony
The cannons rested silent,
the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite
from the war
As soon as they were finished
and a reverent pause was spent
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was "Stille
Nacht", "Tis 'Silent Night'" says I
And in two tongues one song
filled up that sky
"There's someone coming toward
us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one
lone figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas
star, shone on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed
into the night
Soon one by one on either side
walked into No Man's land
With neither gun nor bayonet
we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy
and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer
game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes,
and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far
away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox
and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely
band of men
Soon daylight stole upon us
and France was France once more
With sad farewell we each
prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every
heart that lived that wonderous night
"Whose family have I fixed
within my sights?"
'Twas Christmas in the trenches
where the frost so bitter, hung
The frozed fields of France
were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept
between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were
gone forevermore
My name is Francis Tolliver,
In liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since
World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the
shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle
we're the same
© 1984 John McCutcheon - Appalsong
Marco Giunco |
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